California to Nevada

Distance from Chico to Sparks

Straight-line distance

112.5mi

Chico, CA and Sparks, NV are 112.5 miles (181.1 km) apart in a straight line. From Chico, the shortest path starts out heading E (96°).

kilometers
181.1
nautical miles
97.8
heading from Chico
96° E
heading from Sparks
277° W
ChicoSparks

Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders

How far Chico is from Sparks

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Chico and Sparks is 112.5 miles, 181.1 km or 97.8 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 112.5 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
112.5
Kilometers
181.1
Nautical miles
97.8
Bearing from Chico
95.8° E
Bearing arriving at Sparks
97.2°
Bearing from Sparks
277.2° W

Halfway between Chico and Sparks

The great-circle midpoint is at 39.671389, -120.765045 (39°40'17.00"N 120°45'54.16"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Portola, CA, with 2,086 residents, 18.6 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.

Time zones and daylight

Both use America/Los_Angeles, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Chico gets 14 h 59 min of daylight and Sparks 14 h 58 min; on December 21, 9 h 21 min and 9 h 22 min. The two sit at nearly the same latitude, so their day lengths match closely all year.

Population compared

Sparks has 1.1 times the population of Chico. From July 2020 to July 2024, Chico changed by -0.4% and Sparks by +2.4%. The trip crosses from California into Nevada.

  1. 01Chico, CA102,911 (-0.4%)
  2. 02Sparks, NV111,520 (+2.4%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Chico from Sparks?

112.5 miles, 181.1 km or 97.8 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Sparks from Chico?

E. The great-circle path leaves Chico on a bearing of 95.8° and arrives at Sparks on 97.2°. The return trip starts on 277.2°.

What is halfway between Chico and Sparks?

The midpoint is at 39.671389, -120.765045. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Portola, CA, 18.6 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Chico and Sparks?

Both use America/Los_Angeles, so there is no time difference.

Which is bigger, Chico or Sparks?

Sparks, with 111,520 residents in July 2024 against 102,911 for Chico, 1.1 times as many.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.

  1. 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
  2. 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  3. 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
  4. 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.